Typewriting machine



Sept. 21, 1925.

1,600,494 B. c. STICKNEY TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, i924 @l@@m@u m@q wwm I Q l lnvenfor.

Patented Sept. 21,1926,

} EDT Air as ATENT BUBNHAM o. sTroKNnY, or nnrnnnronn, n'nw mnsnx, Assrenort ronnnnnwoon 'ryrnwnrrnn ooivrranY, on NEW YORK, Y., A oonIBonArroN or DELAWARE;

' 'rvrnwmrrne MACHINE.

Application, filed member 4 1924, Serial No. 753,802}- This invention relates to a keyboard for typing the Japanese katak'a'na alphabet; This application is" in part a-continua-tiori of my application No. 617,912, filed February 9,1923. v V e The main objects of theinven-tion are to devise a keyboard which conducesto ease of learning and rapidity of operation, and which is systematically organized, and in which the labor is divided about evenly between the right and left hands, and also appropriately divided among the fingers of; each hand, and in which the dakuon mark is typed by one hand and the root character by the other handin a m-achine in which the other machine is of the usual Underwood construction throughout, except for the characters on the keys and the types which correspond thereto. I

A feature of the invention is the disposi tion of the relatively numerous kat'akana characters upon the relatively few keys of a double-shift standard typewriter, so that most of the typing will be performed in. lower case upon the most'convenient keys,

namely, those in the second and third ban-ks of a three-bank keyboard, and so thatfor the most part the keys in the several groups follow the order of the katakana alphabet, 1

and so that the lower-case characters less frequently used are disposed upon a less desirable bank of keys, namely, the front bank, and so that the remaining lower-case characters shall be disposed upon one of the shifts, and also so that the letters Which combine wit-h the dakuon and semi-d'akuon are placed upon one side portion of'the key -board preferably the right), while the the dakuon mark is located at the other side of the keyboard, for operation by the left hand, and so that relatively infrequent characters (each, being located in its own key group), are placed with regularity uponone shift and all in one bank, andso that the eleven special undersizedcharacters, which are mainly vowels, are mainly placedupon .or third shift on this bank.

a shift in a location where theyare readilyfound, and so that upper-case numerals, punctuation marks and signs may be so disposed as-to condu ce.tosystematization of the keyboard and the desired grouping and ordering of the katakana characters. This is done insuch a way that the keys in the threebank machine are readily located by the op-' 'erators upon the standard'machine, so that anybody skilled in operating either a -fou-r-" bank standard, or three-bank portal-ale keyboardmay readily use the other keyboard.

: ther features andgadvantageswill here inafter appear. 1

The accompanying drawings show a dia grammatic plan" of a three-bank katakana keyboard forthe Underwood portable type writer, I

The keys 10 are connected by the usual levertrains 11 to the types 12', which lie in the type-rest in front of the platen '(not shown) in an orderdependent upon; the order of thekeys as usual. There areshown the usual'two shift-keys 13,114; There are 28 keys.

ently explained. An ,extra shift-key 15 brings intouse the third case, or thethird set of types on the type-bars, as usual'in'the Underwood portable typewriter. I y e The order of the keys is as follows:

First (front) bank, lower-case, TSU SA VVO HIKO MI MO NE RE; upper-case O SE'SO MU ME NU RO. Extra or third case-shift, TSUt small) apostrophe, capital, hyphen, half-dalmon, comma, period, prolongation mark, RU.

Second bank, lower-case, CHI TO vSHZI HA. KI KU MA NORI. Upper-case, English numerals lto 9. Extra shifts, signs, also small I and Yen. j

Third bank, lower-case, TA TE I SU KA N NA NI RA. 7 r

Third bank, upper case, F U A U E 0 YA YU YO WA'HO. The corresponding undersized characters. are placed in the extra In the Japanese language there are sounds which cannot be denoted in ordinary kata-- kana, such as KIA, KIU, KIO, etc., and it is a common practice to denote such combinations by the aid of undersized duplicate characters, which are nearly all placed upon the rear bank of keys,- all the keys in said bank being, therefore, in upper case and ex The keyboard is standardizedand l harmonized 1n a manner thatwill be'presthis bank arealso placed the characters FT) and H0, each of which is sometimes written 1 tra. shift, for duplicate characters, Whose location is rendered easy to memorize.

Nearly all of the Japanese katakana h acters represent separate syllables each com prising a consonant and a vowel; and the rear bank of keys, upper case shift, is set apart for the infrequent simple vowels A. U, E, O, and also the infrequent compound vowels YA, YU, Y0, and WA. These are characters that are also assigned to the extra shift in the rear bank or row, partly because of their relative infrequency of use, and partly because in usingkatakana it is also customary occasionally to write these char acters in reduced size, as just explained. These small characters are uponthe extra shift of the keys having their main characters, and hence when writing the character elt-her large or small, the operator has only to memorize a single key therefor. Upon in undersized form. The entire two shifts -of the rear bank therefore consist of fullsized characters on the upper case shift, and their undersized duplicates upon the extra shift. This conduces to the orderly and sys tematic character of the keyboard. -{Tl1e simple vowel I, because of its fre quenc'y, is placed inthe third bank, closeto the A and U keys, that is, in the vowel group to which alphabetically itbelongs. This key for I has also an undersized duplicate in the extra shift in the's'econd row. maining letter having an undersized duplicate is TSU, which, because of its moderate frequency, is placed in the extra shift in the first or front bank, but within the T group where alphabetically it belongs.

Of the '1 group of characters, TA, TE, CH1 and T0 are placed in the third and econd banks, because of their great frequency of use, the group being completed by TSU at the left-hand end of the front bank. The alphabetical order of the characters in this and nearly all of the remaining groups is substantially employed throughout the keyboard, for ease of learning and speed of manipulation.

Of the S group, the frequent letters SHI and SU are placed in the second and third banks, While SA, because of its moderate frequency, is placed in the lower case in the first bank. This group also includes two infrequently-used characters SE and SO, which are so seldom used that they are placed in the upper-case shift and in the first bank. It will be seen that the keys in the S group adjoin one another, and hence are easily memorized and located.

In the H group the character HA is placed in the second row because of its frequency, while upon any adjoining key in the front bank is placed the infrequent lower-case character HI. Upon the same key with H1 The only reis placed in upper-case the infrequently-used HE. This group also alphabetically comprises the character HO, but thiskey, be cause of its infrequency of use,- and because of the relative prominence of the vowel soundin the syllable, is placed in upper case in the rear bank (preferably at theright. hand end), and in common with other keys in this bank it carries an undersized duplicate character. The character FU, which also belongs in the H group, is also placed in upper case in the third bank because it carries an undersized duplicate (in theextra shift), and preferably at the left-hand-end of thebank.

In the K set the frequent characters KA. KI and KU are placed on the second and third banks, ,while the less used character K0 is placed in lower case on the front bank. The infrequent character KE is placed in the upper-case shift on theKO key. All of the K characters adjoin one .another to form a group.

The M group comprises the frequent character MA. in the second bank, the less frequent characters MI and MO in lower case in the first bank, and the infrequent charac-.

ters MU and ME inthe upper-case shifts of the keys MI and MO. This group therefore comprises three adjoining keys, so that all letters in this group are easily memorized or located. a I

In the N set the frequently-used characters N, NA and. NI are placed onpthe third bank, and the frequent character NO on the second bank (adjoining the key for NT), Ad-

oining N0 is placed the key for NE in low.- er case on the first bank; the same also carry ing the infrequentcharacter NU in upper case. It is noted that the various groupings differ in form and arrangement, but that this is unobjectionable, and that the desired orderly arrangement and systematizing of the keyboard are secured, and the desired placing of the frequent characters in the second and third banks, and the other numerous advantages gained, without breaking up any group, with the unimportant exceptions elsewhere noted. 7 I

In the R group the frequent characters RA, R1 and RE adjoin one another on keys in the three banks, while the less-used character RU is placed in the extra shift upon the RE key in the front bank. The infrequent character R0 is given an upper-case position upon theRE key. characters following mainly the alphabetical order in nearly all of the principal groups, is important, the problem being to prepare a keyboard which can be so easily mastered as to constitute a substantial aid to the introduction into the Japanese Empire of the typing of katakana in horizontal lines.

The dakuon key is placed at the right-hand end of the keyboard in the third bank, and

The order of. the

may be written immediately afterany of, the first five characters in therthird bank, or any of the-first six-characters in the secondbank, orany ofthefirst five upper or lower-case characters inrthe third bank, (all of these keys being operable, by the left hand, while the dakuon key j is operated by the hiqhthand, to secure celerity.

lIoreover, by placing the dakuon key on the right-hand side of the keyboard, the Work is more evenly divided upibetween.theright and left hands; and the placing of the prolongation markonthe right' handside of the keyboard conduces alsotoeven division of work between thehands. The dakuon key is a silent key which does not feed the carriage, and the dakuon mark is typed closely to-theright-hand side ofthe upper portion of the previously typed character 'on the wo rk-sheetythe same being also true of the semi-dakuon mark on the fifth key in the front row.

The fewness of the keys compared with the number of charactersof the alphabet, has rendereditnecessary to place eight of the principal characters of the alphabet 1n upper-case positions, anda substantial advantage is gained by putting all of these upper-case characters in the front bank of keys, since, it conducesgto orderly, arrangement or systematizing of the keyboard, inasmuch as in other-banks no prime characters are necessarily placed in upper-case positions. Forsystem andorder thereis also placed in the same bank the TSU key. (which bears an undersized third-case duplicate). This is done without separating this character from the T group. Thus all of ,the

katkana keys in the first .bank have prime lower-case letters, and theyalso have all of the primeupper-case characters. By adopting this arrangement, ,it.is rendered possible to place all of the high-frequency lower-case characters in the convenient second and third banks, while at the same time grouping most of the characters alphabetically. That is, substantially all .of the characters are placed in. close groups, in such a manner that themost frequent characters occupy the second and third banks, and .the moderately frequent characters the lowerecase positions in the front bank, with the characters in each group mainly following the alphabetical order. As a means to this same end, the first nine numerals have been placed in uppercase positions upon the keys in the second to the second bank (which would render it necessary to put the numerals in upper-case on the first bank, and would therefore render it impossible to secure the desired groupa shift the characters SE, SO, HE, KE

of the second bank of keys is (with the eX- ception of the key I) devotedtopunctuation marks and signs. .Thefi'rst bank nearly al consists of lower-case'letters of moderate frequency and upper-case letters of little frequencyand the numeral 0; the second bankconsists mainly of normal or lower case letters of high frequency and upper case numerals, and third case punctuation marks and signs; and the third bank consists of high-frequency letters in lower case and upper-case"characters of low frequency and having third case undersized duplicates, these being mainly vowels, Themain vowel groupandalso the ,T, S,;I:I, K, N, M

and R groups are all representedin the second and third banks, and Where necessary the various groups extend into the first bank.- All of the principal characters are in lower-case positions in the second. and third banks, and perform the largest proportion of thetypewriting. I

By assigningthe upper-case numerals t0 the 's'econdfbank, they do not prevent the placing of I, with its upper-case duplicate,

in the third bank orrow, nor the placing of i with its upper-case duplicate in the first bank, whereby the desired grouping of the vowelsand Tcharacters is Secured.

The portable keyboard composes a unit which corresponds with a group oftwenty- ,eight keys,- viz., thethree front rows of the standard keyboard, namely, the first nine keys in each of .the first two ,rows and ten keys in the thirdrow. The small characters inthe fourthbank of-the standard keyboard in said application are given third-shift positions in the rear bank of the portable keyboard. .1 I

Variations may be resorted to within-the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvementsmay be used without others.

YA, YU, YO, WA on a shift in the third.

bank, the characters TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA in lower case in the third bank, the characters CHI, TO, SI-II, HA, KI, KU, MA, NO, RI in lower case on the second bank,'the characters TSU, SA, V0,

HI, KO,MI, MO, NE, RE in lower case on the first bank, the first bankalso having on MU, ME, NU, R0, the usual katakana ah kana groups.

2. A three-blank keyboard having the characters A, U, E, 0, YA, YU, YO, IVA and small duplicates thereof in two cases in the third bank, the characters TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA in lower case in the third bank, the characters CHI, TO, SHI,

VHA, IZCI, I'IU, MA, N 0, R1 in lower case in the second bank, and the characters TSU, SA, W0, I-II, KO, MI, MO, NE, BE in lower case in the first bank, said keyboard having third-case punctuation-marks and signs in the first and second banks, and having upper-case or second-case numerals in the second bank, except the numeral 0, and having upper-case or second-case characters SE, SO, I-IE, KE, MU, ME, R0 and the numeral 0 in the first bank,

3. A three-bank keyboard having the characters A, U, E, 0. YA, YU, YO, IVA and small duplicates thereof in two cases, in the third bank, the characters TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA, in lower case in the third bank, the characters CHI, TO, SHI, I-IA, KI, KU, MA, NO, RI in lower case in the second bank, and the characters TSU, SA, W0, HI, KO, MI, MO, NE, BE in lowor case in the first bank, said keyboard having third-case punctuation marks and signs in the first and second banks, and having upper-case or second-case numerals in the second bank, except the numeral 0, and having upper-case or second-case characters SE, SO, HE, KE, MU, ME, R0 and the numeral 0 in the first bank, and also having EU and H0 in the second and third cases in the third bank. together with their own undersized duplicates. r a

A. A three-bank keyboard having the characters A, U, E, 0, YA, YU, YO, YVA in a shift in the third bank, the characters TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA in normal or lower case, in the third bank, the characters our, TO, SHI, HA, KI, KU, M'A. NO,

RI in lower case in the second bank, and the characters TSU, SA, 0, HI, KO, LII, MO,

NE in lower case in the first bank, having upper-case or second-case characters SE, SO, I-IE, KE, MU, ME, R0 in the first bank, and also having a dakuon mark on a silent key in lower case at the right-hand end of the keyboard; said keyboard also having the characters RE and RU forming a group with said characters RI and R0.

5. A three-bank keyboard having the characters A, U, E, 0, YA, YU, YO, IVA, and their undersized duplicates in shifts in the third bank, the characters TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA in lower casein the third bank, the characters CHI, TO, SHI, HA, KI, KU, MA, NO, RI in lower case in the second bank, and the characters TSU, SA, W0, HI, KO, MI, MO, NE, BE in lower case inthefirst bank, having upper-case or second-case characters SE, SO, I-IE, KE, MU, ME, R0 in the first bank, also having a dakuon mark on a partially silent key at the right-hand end of the third bank, and also having a prolongation 'mark and other signs in third case in the first bank, and also having EU and undersized TSU in third case in-the first bank, and undersized I and signs in th rd case in the second bank, and nine Roman numerals in second case in the second bank, and numeral 0 in second case in the first bank.

6. A three-hank Japanese katakana keyboard for a three-case machine, having lower or normal case characters as follows: third bank, TA, TE, I, SU, KA, N, NA, NI, RA, dakuon; second bank, CHI,,T(), SHI, HA, KI, KU, MA,NO, RI; first bank, TSU, SA, IVO, I-ILKQ, MI, MO, NE, RE; and having second or upper case characters as follows: third bank, EU, A, U, E, 0, YA, YU, YO, VVA,I-IO; second bank, Ro-

man numerals; first bankRoman numeral 0,

also the characters SE, SO, I-IE, KE, MU,

ME, NU, R6; and also having third or extra case characters as follows: first bank, under sized duplicates of the characters in second case in said bank; second bank characters for yen, undersized duplicate for I, and various signs such as division mark, per cent, under- .score, interrogation and parenthesis; third bank, semidakuon, RU, undersized duplicate, of TSU, and various signs such as hyphen, comma, period and prolongation mark.

BURNHAM C. STICKNEY. 

